Meghan Markle’s frosty first meeting with Princess Kate

Princess Catherine was frosty and presented one face in public and another behind closed doors, Meghan Markle has claimed.

Princess Catherine was frosty when hugged and presented one face in public and another behind closed doors, Meghan Markle has claimed in episode two of the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan.

Recounting her first meeting with Prince William and his wife while staying with Prince Harry in the early days of their courtship, the Duchess mentioned she was “dressed in ripped jeans and barefoot” when the royal couple paid them a visit.

But an attempt at friendliness quickly became an awkward moment.

“I’ve always been a hugger, but that can be really jarring for a lot of Brits,” she said.

Harry & Meghan Netflix documentary: When Meghan first met Princess Kate.

In an apparent direct reference to Kate, she then said: “I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside. That there is a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and go ‘Ohhh, right, OK I can relax now’.

But that formality carries through on both sides. And that was surprising to me.”

Harry and Meghan give their candid take on being in the royal family. Picture: Netflix

Close friend of Princess Diana, novelist Jeffrey Archer, told the Jeremy Vine show, there were no “revelatory” bombshells in the doco so far.

He also lashed the comments made about Ms Markle’s first meeting with the Princess of Wales.

“I have sympathy for Kate, who hugs someone the first time they meet them?”

“Kate is doing a wonderful job as Princess of Wales, and had to go through the exact same thing as Meghan.

“There is another brother and he’s doing a good job, he’s (Harry) not the only one in the family.”

When asked why she wanted to make the documentary, Ms Markle said: “I’m not going to say that it’s comfortable.

“But when you feel that people haven’t gotten any sense of who you are for so long it’s really nice to just be able to have the opportunity to let people have a bit more of a glimpse into what’s happened and also who we are.”

Originally published as Meghan Markle’s frosty first meeting with Princess Kate